Calif toxic dump fined $300K for unreported spills

SAN FRANCISCO  State toxic substances regulators have fined a large hazardous waste dump in Central California more than $300,000 for failing to report 72 small spills over a four-year period.

California's Department of Toxic Substances Control on Wednesday said the landfill's owner, Chemical Waste Management, kept records of the spills that occurred from 2008-2012, but failed to notify the agency as required.

Brian Johnson, the DTSC's deputy director of enforcement, said there was no evidence that any of the spills posed danger to nearby residents or the environment.

The facility is the largest hazardous waste landfill west of the Mississippi River, and is located near Kettleman City, a farmworker community between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

A Chemical Waste Management spokesman did not immediately return a request for comment.